The Bandit Queen's Little Accomplices
by LadyClassical
Summary: Fem!Youko AU. After Youko collapses on a heist, a plant-based test confirms one of her worst fears: she's pregnant! How can she still be the Bandit Queen of Demon World if she has a litter of kitsunes (and maybe a few baby bat demons) to look after?
1. Wild Night

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Unlike my other story, **_**Not Your Ordinary Girls**_**, this is not a "freak genderswap" story. Nor is it mpreg (that's not a road I want to go down, sorry!). No, this is a fem!Youko AU, in which Youko is and has always been female (a demoness, if you will). **

…

As a female fox-demon, the mating season was Youko's favorite time of year. It occurred during the latter half of a year in the Makai for most female animal spirits, including fox-demons. Youko liked it because she was happier, she had a lot more energy, and yes, a particularly successful heist was often "celebrated" after hours in her plant-filled lair, with whichever henchman she chose. They were all pretty receptive and willing around this time of year—drawn to her, you could say.

But recently, Youko had feasted her eyes on only one male: Kuronue.

One thing she liked was that he was an animal spirit, just like she was (in his case, a bat). But it wasn't just that. Kuronue was a friend, not just a henchman, and good at what he did. They had similar values, he was likeable enough, and he had been a thief before he met her, too. Not long after she knew him, she experienced something quite rare: perhaps she was beginning to like him as _more _than a friend and an accomplice? Youko didn't think of herself as very warm and loving. She was a leader, a Bandit Queen, an A-class demon, both feared and respected. Kuronue was interesting, and he looked like he'd be a lot of fun, but the title of Bandit Queen demanded professionalism, so she ignored those affectionate, possibly romantic, feelings at first.

That all changed when the mating season started up. After that, it wasn't Kuronue's personality; it was the ripped shirt that barely covered his chest, the scars on his arms, the hat, the hair, the bat wings—especially the bat wings! She enjoyed how they twitched involuntarily when she ran her fingers or tongue along them, and how he seemed to love having them touched. It was the way he scratched her behind her ears (something she would _never _let anyone else do), stroked her tail, kissed her lips, and, eventually, let her dominate him. On those wonderful, moonlit nights, only Kuronue was allowed in her den.

There had never been any danger of having children. There were plants a male demon could consume that would make fertilization temporarily impossible, and it was for the best: Youko knew she could never be a mother. She was not the type of demon to carry a litter for months, give birth, and spend even more time looking after them after they were born. She didn't want anything to interfere with who she really was: the Bandit Queen of the Makai.

That was actually what she was doing at the moment, mixing up some more of that temporary-infertility potion, using herbs. She had used so much of it this mating season that there was none left, and for the past couple hours she had been working on a fresh supply. She still had a few active ingredients to go, but that wouldn't take long.

Youko was just about to reach for a crucial seed in her long silver hair when the plants at the entrance to the den rustled, signaling a visitor. It wasn't Kuronue, because the plants would have let him right on through, and it wasn't an enemy, because then the plants would have attacked. So it must be a subordinate. Youko sighed.

"Enter," she said, and the plants parted to reveal a young individual, carrying a slip of paper.

"Um, hello, my Queen," he said nervously. "I have something for you."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Youko said listlessly. "Show it."

"It's a map," explained the demon, "to a castle, with many precious jewels."

"And just how did you get ahold of this?"

"I-I found it."

"Where?"

"It was just…just sitting around," the demon replied, but he was obviously lying.

"Tell me where you _really _got it," she snapped. "Now."

"Fine," said the subordinate miserably. "Kuronue stole it from a shed or something nearby, and he told me to give it to you."

"I should have known." Youko grinned wickedly. "And I _also _should have known that you'd try to steal his thunder, because you think I'm playing favorites."

"I'm sorry, my Queen!" the demon pleaded, falling to his knees. "Please spare me! The rest of us just want to help you like Kuronue does."

"And you can start by not lying," Youko replied smoothly. One of the vines hanging from the ceiling crept down and smacked him on the rear like a whip; she laughed as he screamed in pain and turned to run.

"Go get Kuronue," she said. "We need to plan the heist."

"Yes, my Queen," mumbled the demon, slinking out of the cave. Youko rolled her eyes and turned over onto her back, putting her arms behind her head. That one was young, and new. Come to think of it, she couldn't actually remember his name. But he always walked on eggshells around her, afraid he'd get killed at any moment. It was amusing, actually. Youko did what she had to do, but she wasn't a mindless killer. She didn't just take people's lives for the sake of it. Besides, her henchmen were no use to her if they were dead.

It seemed like forever until finally the guard-plants parted again and Kuronue walked in.

"Good evening, partner-in-crime," Youko greeted him, her voice involuntarily going slightly lower. "I see you've found a map. That messenger tried to take credit."

"Really? What a fool."

"Oh, he's just jealous, that's all." Youko sat up too, crossing her legs like Kuronue. "They think I play favorites. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"Ridiculous, indeed." Kuronue leaned forward and met her eyes, his wings twitching a little. Youko felt that longing to bed him again, but she pushed it down.

"All right, Kuronue," she said, brushing her half-finished herbs away. "What are we dealing with here?"

"Well, this castle is heavily guarded, but right here…" Kuronue replied, pointing to a section on the map. "That's where the treasure is."

"If it's heavily guarded, we have to find a stealthier way to get in," said Youko. "I'm not going to be like Yomi and get us all killed by storming it outright. You just _know _he would have."

"Yomi sounds like an idiot," said Kuronue. "Always disobeying you. I would never do that."

"I know you wouldn't," she cooed. Kuronue bent his head down to look at the map, while Youko licked one finger, then ran it all down his right wing, from the part where they were attached to his back all the way to the tips.

"Oh, Youko, stop it," he moaned.

"I don't see why I can't give you a little entertainment, Kuronue," she said serenely. "But please, go on."

"Uh…yeah," he said. "So, maybe…um…"

Kuronue's speech drifted off. Youko knew he was wishing he could scratch her behind the ears, and she wished he would do it, too. The map was starting to become a little less interesting. After all, they could always plan the heist tomorrow. They certainly wouldn't be stealing from a castle like this without at least a week of planning…but Kuronue was here _tonight_, Youko was in heat, and she really, really liked him. She was the one who planned what came next.

"Shut up," she said, and kissed him on the lips, loving how he sucked in his breath with surprise. She knocked him onto the floor of her den, drinking him in, ripping off his shirt and kissing his chest. Her long silvery hair was all around him, and he scratched her behind her ears.

"Here, take this," she breathed, retrieving her concoction.

"Is this the one that makes me shoot blanks?" he asked.

"How eloquent," she said, and shoved it at him. "Go on, drink it."

Kuronue did, and next thing you know they were both undressed, sitting on the floor of Youko's den, Youko with her arms around Kuronue's neck.

"You know what comes next," she said, pushing him down and climbing on top of him, then brandishing her signature weapon. "Rose whip!"


	2. Robbery

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, everyone! Just so you know, when writing this story, I had to kind of guess at what a "fox-demon pregnancy" would be like (neither a human pregnancy nor a fox one), so if you would like to know all the details, I've compiled them in a convenient author's note at the end of this chapter. I was originally going to put it at the beginning, but it seemed like kind of a killjoy that impeded the story, so to the end it went. Enjoy the chapter!**

…

**APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS LATER…**

_I could have been a medic if I hadn't become a bandit_, Youko mused. Although, of course, being the Bandit Queen wasn't her endgame; no, she eventually wanted to rule over the Makai in general, and the way she'd chosen to do that was to become a bandit. She'd train to S-class level, then fight and kill whoever was necessary until she reached her goal.

Still…lately, she had been feeling more D-class, and that was where the medic thing came in.

"C'mon, what are you doing in there?" one of her subordinates demanded, banging on the bathroom door of their headquarters.

"It's me, you idiot!" Youko yelled.

"Oh…sorry, ma'am, but I really have to—"

"Get out of here! Now!"

"Yes, ma'am…"

Youko sniffed in disapproval and knocked back her tonic. For the past few days she had been sick, and it was the only thing that helped (barely). At first, she thought she just ate something funny, so she made a potion that caused her to expel _everything_, which made that day the least pleasant in a long time. But that didn't take care of the headaches, nausea, and fatigue she had been experiencing for the better part of last week. She had used her extensive knowledge of plants to make something that would get rid of her symptoms for a little, but it didn't work for long. She had almost finished all of it, and their planning session for robbing the castle on that map wasn't even close to over.

During this meeting, Youko didn't have a lot of time to sit and brood, since she was the one leading it, after all. The job of the Bandit Queen was not for everyone. On the bright side, she got to be the boss; on the other hand, she had to be the boss.

And the boss didn't get inexplicably sick for days on end.

"I'm back," she said, taking her seat at the table again. Her head was still pounding, and the bright lights of the main meeting-room weren't helping; she just wanted to sleep in her underground fox den. "And as usual, I am in favor of stealth. None of you are of any use to me when dead…so here's what we can do with the information I have discovered, by sending several spies to the castle over the past week.

"First, the main entrances to the castle remain unlocked, but there is an intruder alarm that must be disabled within ten seconds of entry, using a secret code known only to the inhabitants of the castle, otherwise resulting in the intruder's fiery demise," she continued, thinking of the spy who had almost lost his life retrieving that information. It was lucky she had thought ahead and sent a fire demon. "I realize we do have members of our team who can't be hurt by regular fire, but if that alarm is not deactivated, the entire castle would be alerted to our presence. So sneaking through the front door isn't an option."

"Then what _can _we do?" someone shouted.

"Well, apparently there's a much easier way to get in." Youko was feeling better, doing her job. Maybe she would be okay after all. "Miles away from the castle, there's a secret entrance buried in the ground. And in case that sounds too good to be true—it is. There's a _so-called _impenetrable door between the basement of the castle and the underground tunnel."

"What do you mean, 'so-called'?" asked someone else.

"Kuronue?" Youko pointed to her friend and lover. "I believe you can answer this?"

"Easy," said Kuronue with a grin. "They didn't plan on Youko."

…

The heist was planned for tomorrow evening, so that they could pull it off under the cover of darkness. Kuronue was good at that, being a bat demon and all. In fact, he was capable of echolocation, wherein he could figure out where things were without having to see them. This would make him the perfect choice to lead the bandits through the pitch-black tunnel to the castle's impenetrable door and, soon afterwards, its basement.

Youko herself would actually be following Kuronue in this respect. Her golden eyes could easily see in dim light, but complete darkness was better left to someone who didn't need to use his eyes at all. Not all the thieves would go in the tunnel; some were to stay by the entrance of the castle, to create a distraction if something went wrong, which it could. Youko didn't get to where she was today by not making backup plans.

Unfortunately, she did encounter a little snag. After a restless night, Youko was sicker than ever.

In the morning, she was supposed to be doing her part, which was growing a demonic plant that could get them through the impenetrable door. But instead, she spent the morning throwing up. She barely got out of her den in time, only to vomit all over the ground outside. She couldn't even keep her tonic in her body; if it didn't come up one end, it came out the other.

Wiping her mouth with her hand, Youko skulked back into her den, feeling gross and tired and yucky and miserable. Over the afternoon, the den turned into a miniature forest, and Youko buried herself within. She felt not just a sadness, nor a sickness; it was a worry that was bothering her. She saw hints—clues—through careful observation, and put them together; that was the way her mind worked. That was part of what made her so dangerous. But today, she didn't like what she was guessing.

There was an easy test she could take, using a certain plant. But she didn't dare. She didn't want to see the results.

The plants blocked her off completely as she sat on a literal bed of roses, burying her head in her hands. The forest around her grew ever denser, more varied, closing her off from everyone, until she was surrounded by the many smells of her favorite local and foreign flora. But that was when it happened. The smells of the plants—some of them, anyway—made her feel sick. Her stomach churned again, and she pushed through the plants to get outside, but it was too late, too many had grown, and she threw up right in the den.

Kneeling there on the floor, tears running down her cheeks, her beautiful hair tangled, her white clothing stained, waves of emotions spilling over and out, she had never felt so pathetic in her very long life.

The dense forest was nothing new; everyone who worked with Youko knew that when her den became that full of vegetation, it meant she didn't want to be disturbed by _anyone_. So nobody tried to find her. They probably thought she was preparing for their theft, which, she decided, was what she wanted them to think. If she was correct about her condition, she sure as heck wasn't going to tell anyone.

Finally, when Youko's stomach settled enough that she could move around again, she got to working on her plants. She felt better when she wasn't sitting around feeling sorry for herself. Eventually, even though her demon energy felt completely different, she managed to utilize it and create a vicious, hungry tree whose branches could tear through anything, even an "impenetrable" door. It would take a fair amount of power to work this new plant, but that had never stopped her before. She was more than strong enough to take the hit.

Around evening, the forest shrunk, allowing certain others to enter, and Kuronue entered Youko's den when it was time to go.

"Is it…is everything ready, Youko?" he asked. "We were waiting for you to give the signal."

"Yes," she said. "I've got the seed for the tree. With that, and your echolocation skills, we should be able to steal from this castle easily."

…

Everything, in terms of the heist, was going fine. Kuronue was leading the small division of bandits towards the door, slowly but surely. Youko had the seed in her hair, which she had brushed. She was pushing her symptoms down—she had a headache again, and she felt quite dizzy, but it was nothing serious. Nothing that could impede the mission.

"We're _really _close to the door now, everyone," Kuronue declared, and Youko grinned. Almost time to plant the seed of her brand-new creation.

"Faster," she commanded, and they all broke into a run, until Kuronue stopped abruptly.

"We're here!" Kuronue told everyone. "Youko, are you ready?"

"I'm ready, Kuronue," she said serenely, and withdrew the seed from her hair.

Everyone stood back as Youko's whole body began to glow, lighting the dark tunnel as bright as day. If you were fighting her, that was a signal that it was time to run; if you were on her side, you had lucked out.

"_**Hyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" **_

The bandits watched in awe as a gigantic tree seemed to grow out of nowhere, with branches like battering rams, but with what looked like claws on the ends. They dodged out of the way as the branches streamed away from their commander all the way to the impenetrable door, ripping through it as if it were mere paper.

Youko poured just enough energy into the tree as it needed to fully grow, and—she could see it—they had broken through and were now in the castle's basement. Or were they…? Things were starting to look a little blurry.

"Well, it's up to you again, Youko! What should we do next?"

Kuronue's voice…But why did it sound so muffled?

"Um…Youko? You okay?"

"F-Fine," Youko mumbled, but the room was starting to spin. She put her arms out to steady herself, but they only grasped at air.

"Youko!"

And that was the last thing the Bandit Queen of Demon World knew before she lost consciousness.

…

**AUTHOR'S NOTE (AGAIN, AS PROMISED): In case some of this doesn't initially make sense to you (for example, pregnancy symptoms occurring too early, or not fretting over a missed period), I figured since fem!Youko is a fox-demon, **_**not**_** a fox in human form, I could take some liberties as to what her pregnancy would be like. (Saying Youko is no different than a regular fox is like saying Yukina is no different than a glacier.) Since Youko is one of the more humanoid demons, and her actual demon type is mammalian in nature, it won't stray too far from what you'd expect. I suppose that while you can expect Youko to **_**have**_** foxlike characteristics, she will **_**act**_** like a demon, not a wild animal. Minus the foxlike ears and tail, Youko has all the characteristics of a primate, not a canine (which is what a fox is).**

**In terms of the gestation period, I wanted it to be shorter than a human's (40 weeks) but longer than a regular fox's (7 weeks) so I went with 21 weeks. Ergo, the reason she's experiencing symptoms (despite only going on Week 3 of her pregnancy) is because her gestation period is shorter.**

**What about a due date, you ask? Well, I seriously doubt Demon World uses the Gregorian calendar (and in the time this story takes place, it may not have yet been in popular use, even in Human World), but in the show they do mention "years" as a way of measuring time (for example, an ice maiden being born every 100 years, or the new demon king at the end of the show saying he only wanted a 3-year term). So, if you'll lend me your suspension of disbelief, I'll use terms like "weeks," "months," "days," etc., but I won't actually name the months. For the record, a fox's mating season is in the winter, so that all the little baby foxes will be born in the late spring (cute!), but Demon World doesn't really seem to have weather, besides a bunch of appropriately-timed lightning (it always seems to strike whenever a character does or says something dramatic), so that's moot.**

**If you're wondering why I'm talking babies, plural, humans don't usually have litters, but I suppose a fox demon would, although their growth process would probably be a bit different. Finally, female foxes don't get periods, which is why there's no mention of her missing one as a symptom. Anyway…if you want to find out what happens to Youko, stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	3. The Tree of Life

Youko awoke to bright lights, and her head seared with a wave of pain; she groaned and covered her eyes. Her foxlike ears twitched and focused, hearing voices all around her.

"Look, she's coming around."

"Is she okay?"

"Maybe we should turn off the lights."

"Yes," Youko moaned. "Turn off the damn lights."

_Click_. The room was plunged into darkness. Youko shut her eyes, trying to make the pain go away.

"Ma'am, please, are you all right?"

"W-What happened?" Youko mumbled, trying to sit up, but she felt someone gently push her down. "Where am I?"

"You're back at headquarters," replied a water demon called Mizu, who was one of her few female subordinates. "And you passed out as soon as we entered the castle basement."

"Oh no…" Youko covered her face again. "Please tell me the heist still went all right?"

"Well, not exactly, my Queen," the demon said nervously. "Several minutes after you fainted, the owner of the castle came downstairs to see what all the noise was about."

"Why didn't you just silence him and get on with the robbery?"

"Because he was an S-class demon, and we didn't have much of a chance without you," Mizu explained. "Kuronue tried, but he wasn't nearly as powerful, and once the demon sent for his guards, we had to turn around and run before they got to us, with you and Kuronue on our backs."

"Turn on the lights," Youko commanded. When Mizu turned around and flicked them on, Youko realized that plenty of her subordinates were surrounding her, but Kuronue was missing. "Where _is _Kuronue? Is he all right?"

Nobody said anything. They all looked around at each other uncomfortably.

"I asked you where Kuronue was," said Youko, in a firmer voice this time.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," said another bandit, Maunto, twisting his hands together. "Kuronue…well, he's in a bad way."

"We patched him up as best we could, but his wounds are quite serious," Mizu added. "We were hoping you could give him one of your tonics or something."

Youko could tell already that she herself hadn't been injured, so she got up off the couch where they had apparently set her down to rest, and demanded to be taken to Kuronue.

"Certainly," said Maunto. "Come, my Queen."

The band of thieves proceeded down the labyrinthine hallways of Youko's headquarters, until they reached what Youko recognized as the medical room. Well, at least, they called it a medical room. None of Youko's team were particularly skilled healers. They'd learned to bandage simple injuries, and Youko could save lives with her plants just as easily as she could extinguish them, but other than that, they basically had to hope they would survive—and, of course, that they would become strong enough not to be mortally wounded to begin with.

"I wish to speak with him alone," Youko commanded.

"Yes, ma'am." Everyone stood back as Youko pushed open the door.

When she entered the room, there was no sign of movement. There was a bed, though, and Youko approached it; she sucked in her breath as she saw the bat demon fast asleep on the bed. His chest was bare and bandaged, which normally would have put her in a frisky mood, but now she just felt guilty, because if she hadn't overtaxed herself with that stupid tree, everything would have been fine. There were bandages on Kuronue's face, too, plus a cut on his lip. It was true, he looked to be in very bad condition, though not critical.

Taking one of his hands in both of hers, Youko moved her thumb back and forth across his palm, willing those dark eyes to open—and finally, they did. She didn't say anything, just watched him as he got his bearings and looked around.

"W-What's going on?" Kuronue mumbled as his eyes slid into focus. "Youko? Is that you?"

Youko nodded, but still didn't say anything, purposely keeping her face expressionless.

"I hope you don't want to kill me _too _much." Kuronue closed his eyes again. It seemed that speaking pained him.

"Why would I want to kill you?"

Kuronue tried to sit up, but fell down again with a grunt of pain. "Because I lost to that demon."

"That's not your fault, Kuronue, it's mine," Youko said seriously. "That tree took more energy than I thought it would. _I_ should have been the one to fight the S-class demon. Not you. In fact, you really came through for me. You did well, Kuronue."

"But…but the robbery failed," he protested. "How can I have done well?"

"It seems you have a lot to learn, young one," Youko said quietly, brushing his shoulder with her hand. "Don't you beat yourself up; you're already injured enough."

And with that, she left the room, Kuronue's protests about being "not _that _young" falling on deaf ears.

…

That evening, Youko sowed the seeds to a unique plant outside her den. With the help of this tree, she would know by tomorrow whether her suspicions were correct. After she buried the seeds in the ground, she had to go through with the least pleasant part of the planting process, which was watering it. That wouldn't have been so bad, except this particular tree happened to be watered with urine, as opposed to actual water. Well, at least it only needed to be done once. And she had to go all the time now, anyway, so she might as well make use of it.

This way she would know. If the tree grew overnight, she was correct; if the tree didn't grow, it was a false alarm.

With that, Youko retreated to her den and tried to fall asleep. She reminded herself that she would need lots of rest if she needed to make some plans for the future, starting tomorrow. But she was having trouble, as usual, and although she didn't remember falling asleep at all, she did remember waking up to an unfamiliar smell tickling her nose.

What was that? Rubbing her eyes, Youko looked around and saw nothing unusual, but the smell was coming from outside. It wasn't an unpleasant smell, just one she couldn't remember ever encountering before.

But as she looked outside, she realized that it was as she suspected. The tree had grown. And, of course, the smell would be much stronger now…Youko walked over to the tree, where dainty petals were drifting to the ground. She caught one in her open hand and looked at it closely; then, when she found that her vision was blurring, she closed her fist on the petal, crushing it.

The Tree of Life had changed _her _life. Forever.


	4. Kiss

It was official. Youko Kurama, the Legendary Bandit Queen of Demon World, was pregnant.

Youko headed back to her den and curled up near the wall. Why did this happen? What was she going to _do?_ How was she supposed to be the Queen of Thieves, feared and revered throughout the Makai, if she was pregnant? Youko knew how much of her demon energy would go towards protecting the babies over the course of her pregnancy. The powers that were left to her alone could get as low as D-class.

How would she pull off heists? How would she keep up her strength? How could she continue to rule over her band of thieves? What if she was captured by someone who, under normal circumstances, would have been much less of a threat? What if she used too much energy by summoning a demon plant again, and it _killed _her?

She knew some would say that it wasn't exactly right of her to be taking her subordinates as lovers, but she always disagreed, believing that if she never became attached to any of them, it didn't really matter. They were _her _subordinates, so if she felt like bedding them, why shouldn't she? Besides, it wasn't as if they ever put up much of an argument. Youko was very well aware of her beauty; she had been taunted about it in battle too many times to _not _realize it, although that just made it all the more enjoyable to kill such males after they were finished objectifying her. But still…it was different now, and for a very big reason.

_And what will Kuronue think? How will he deal with it?_

Youko buried her face in her hands at the thought of the bat demon, her long silvery hair falling down all around her. Kuronue had signed up to be a bandit, not a father, and Youko had no business plunging him into this. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be supportive of her pregnancy, but that was the whole thing—knowing him, he would try to _force _himself into the role of father, out of some foolish sense of duty, and since she knew in her heart he wasn't ready for it, nothing good could come of that.

It was still morning, but the den was as dark as night. Plants were surrounding Youko as she sat by herself in the dark, thinking.

_Maybe you just shouldn't tell him_.

But how in the world could she not tell him? Wouldn't he find out, sooner or later? Wouldn't everyone?

_Not if you hide it._

Golden eyes glanced about the den thoughtfully as Youko pondered this. She had pulled off trickier schemes before. Maybe she could just fake some kind of illness, and "miraculously recover" after the birth. When she inevitably got bigger, she supposed she could wear loose clothing, possibly pretend she was falling out of shape, gaining all that weight due to whatever the hell was wrong with her.

Then, of course, there was the question of what she would do with the babies after they were born. Owing to the fact that she was a fox-demon, there were at least three in there, and there could be up to fourteen. Imagine, fourteen little kitsunes having the run of her den. Or perhaps some of them would look like bats, too, and then she would have a bunch of baby bat demons flying around and bumping off the walls while the little kitsunes crawled underneath her feet, all begging for her attention at once, getting tangled up in the plants…

No. She definitely could not keep them. This was not a place for children. Besides, if nobody knew she was pregnant, she would have a lot of explaining to do if she gave birth.

What _could _she do with all the babies, then?

There was one thing that she technically could do with them. Youko knew everything there was to know about plants, and what they could do. One spoonful of poisonous herbs would kill something that small almost instantaneously. Nobody would ever have to know, and this whole issue would be done with forever…

Except that she'd never be able to live with herself. Doing something like that to something so helpless would be pure evil; not even she was _that _cruel. When babies were born, they looked to their mothers for protection, for nourishment. Youko may have been the cold-hearted Queen of Bandits, but she wasn't enough of a soulless monster that she would deprive her newborn babies of that. She didn't believe she owed them much, but as their mother, she knew she owed them one thing, at least: their lives.

The most important thing was to get rid of them before any of them imprinted on her—that is, considered her to be their mother. What to do, then? Leave them at the door of the den in a box that read "Free to a Good Home"? There were plenty of demons who wanted to have children, but couldn't, for whatever reason, and surely the babies could imprint on some of them. Right?

Well, unless nobody came to pick the babies up. Youko envisioned a litter of small kitsunes squirming around in a box, their feeble cries of hunger and loneliness barely audible over the howl of the wind, shivering, packing themselves together in a futile attempt to stay warm—

_No! Stop! I can't take it!_

There was clearly only one solution: Youko was going to need to find the babies homes _before_ they were born. She knew it would be difficult, since she had no way of knowing exactly how many she would have, and considering her reputation, she didn't know if many people would want her offspring. Hiding the pregnancy, that she could handle, and after they were born, she could give them away to someone who wanted them and would love them.

Youko stood up, finally, sighed, and brushed herself off. She didn't feel better, exactly, but she did feel a lot calmer. It was always best to have a plan.

…

Well, there was one thing Youko could say for the babies: they were sure making it easy for her to pull off her illness ruse. In fact, she didn't even have to pretend to be sick. She was throwing up outside her den as usual, about four weeks along, when she heard Kuronue's voice.

"Morning, Youko," she heard him greet her. "You okay?"

Youko wiped her mouth with her hand and shook her head. "No, I think I might be coming down with something."

"Can you cure it?" asked Kuronue, looking concerned.

"I have come to the conclusion that it is a virus," Youko replied, "which means that we simply have to wait for it to run its course. Nothing fatal, though."

"Well, how long will it last?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Youko thought about how many more weeks she would probably be pregnant, based on when she thought the babies were conceived, then converted that into months. "Probably about three months, I suppose."

"Three months!" Kuronue cried in shock. "For just a virus?!"

"Kuronue, I beg that you'll change the subject," said Youko, offering him a wry grin. "How are _you _faring?"

"Me? I'm just fine." Kuronue was still bandaged under his shirt, and he was leaning on a walking stick, but he looked just as lively and passionate as ever. That was one of the things Youko liked about him. Everything he did, he did it one-hundred percent.

"For facing off with an S-class demon, I suppose you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kuronue gave Youko a mock-glare and dropped to kneel beside her, wincing a little as he did so.

"It's supposed to mean that he should have killed you," said Youko, the corners of her mouth twitching into a grin.

"Well, maybe he should have done, but when you're unconscious, someone has to fight for your honor, Youko." Kuronue smiled back, and reached out his hand.

She took it, and squeezed. His hand was rough, with cuts and scars scattered here and there. It would have been surprising to see hands like that belonging to a demon as young as Kuronue, but considering he had been a thief even before they met, it made sense. Youko's hands were only soft because of the balms she made, soaking her hands every night before she went to sleep.

"Thank you," she said, one delicate, pale thumb caressing the rough back of Kuronue's hand. What was it that kept her from telling this man he would someday be a father? Was it because he was so much younger than she was? That was still so much more of the world he needed to see? Wouldn't children just weigh him down? Youko certainly felt they would weigh _her _down. Was Kuronue really ready for the responsibility of fatherhood?

_No_, Youko decided. Kuronue would be happier not knowing.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"The future," Youko replied, in a voice so soft, it was barely a whisper.

…

Within a few days, Kuronue had spread the word of Youko's illness, and nobody questioned her behavior. For once, Youko was glad none of them really had any medical training, because if they had, perhaps they would have realized that an ordinary virus wouldn't last three months.

What was it about pregnancy, though, that messed her entire body up? She spent an hour one morning modifying her clothes to support her breasts, which were bigger, but had never hurt so much; and if she wasn't trying to ignore how much weight they suddenly held, more was coming out of her than was going in. As a matter of fact, she had Mizu set up a more comfortable bed for her in the medical room, because at least that way she could be near a toilet at all times. She missed all her exotic plants, and the seclusion of her den, but she felt the trade-off was worth it.

Almost nothing appealed to her in terms of food, even though she knew she needed to keep up her strength if she wanted any energy left to herself at all. She mostly ate plants that were said to calm one's stomach, and they sometimes did, if she was lucky enough to have them stay in her body long enough to digest.

"However many of you are in there, you're not making this any easier on your mom," Youko said to the babies as she finished up in the bathroom once more and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She definitely looked thinner, and her hair needed some brushing.

Once she exited the bathroom, she found Kuronue standing in the doorway of the medical room, looking sheepish.

"I figured you would be in there again," he said, his hands in his pockets. "I would have brought you flowers, but you know, you have enough of those, I guess…"

"You know, I'm not dying." Youko climbed up onto the bed, then patted the seat next to her. Kuronue walked over and sat down. "It's just a small virus."

"Maybe not, but I still feel really bad for you," he said, placing his hand on top of hers.

"I do feel kind of gross," she admitted, smoothing the fur on her ears, since that had been looking a little matted lately, too.

"When you're sick, you're supposed to be gross," Kuronue replied with a shrug.

"Has anyone ever told you you've got a way with words, Kuronue?" Youko asked casually.

"No," he said, bewildered.

"That makes sense, because they'd be wrong," said Youko, tracing along the edge of Kuronue's wing. She wasn't about to throw him down on the bed and make mad love to him; she was far too exhausted to do that. But for the first time since she'd fallen pregnant, she was feeling just a little bit…what? Horny? Well, not exactly. But she was feeling strange.

"Youko, you aren't contagious, are you?" Kuronue asked suddenly.

"No, I'm not."

"Well, in that case…" The hand that wasn't on top of Youko's was behind her ears, scratching them the way she liked. Her tail swished back and forth a couple times, and she scooted a little closer, leaning into it as his dark eyes met her golden ones. They were so warm, she thought, so tender, whenever he looked at her. "You won't mind if I show you how I really feel?"

Although she longed to kiss him, Youko backed up a little. "Really, Kuronue, my breath probably smells like vomit."

"You think I care?" he said, and before they knew it, both sets of eyes had closed, their lips met, and Youko was wrapped up in one of the sweetest kisses she had ever received from him. And even if it wasn't followed by anything else, it was the first time that week she felt truly wonderful.


	5. Another Plan

"So…tell me again why you needed fresh fruit ground together with fish?" Kuronue asked, wrinkling his nose.

"I _told _you, I need certain foods to keep up my strength," said Youko, picking a decapitated fish head out of her bowl and flicking it away. Fish were one of the few things she was willing to eat. Luckily, another was Makai fruit, and she already had a lot of fruit trees growing nearby her fox den.

"But why do you eat if you're just going to throw it up again?" Kuronue wanted to know.

"Because if I don't, these cravings drive me insane." Youko tipped the bowl back and promptly dumped the smelly concoction down her throat. From the look Kuronue gave her, it appeared as if he was the one who was about to throw up for a change.

"Well, I'm…I'm glad you enjoyed it?" he said.

"Mm-hmm." Youko fell backwards onto her bed in the medical room and shut her eyes. "Cover me with those blankets, will you, Kuronue?"

"Of course," said Kuronue, and he pulled the blankets up over Youko. She settled into them; it was unbelievable how comfortable they were. "You know, you're a lot nicer when you're sick, Youko."

"Maybe I just don't have the energy to boss you all around," Youko said back. "What's the matter? Are you getting frustrated?"

"N-No-no way!" Kuronue's cheeks were bright red, though, and it was obvious he was lying.

"Well, you're staring at my chest an awful lot."

If Kuronue's cheeks were red before, it was nothing compared to now. "But…well, they _are_ bigger, you know?"

"You sick bastard," said Youko, pulling on Kuronue's hair. It was long, like hers, only black. "I can't believe you're comparing my breast size."

"Sorry," said Kuronue, looking mortified. "I can't account for it. That's all."

"Drop it," said Youko. "I'm starting to feel secondhand embarrassment."

Kuronue nodded, and finally shut up about it. Youko had no other explanation for this particular part of pregnancy, but the changes Kuronue was referring to were simply so that she could feed the babies once they were born. Since she was planning to give them away as soon as possible, she _wasn't_ going to be the one feeding them, but that didn't stop her body from preparing for it.

"Are you going to take a nap?" Kuronue asked finally.

"Sure," Youko replied. "I'm so tired."

"Okay, then, I hope you feel better." Kuronue gave Youko's head a quick kiss, then sidled out of the room, flicking the lights off as he went.

Youko had been pregnant for five weeks now, and she had been battling with herself all week over whether or not she should tell Kuronue. She knew by now why her contraceptive tonic hadn't worked; the one Kuronue took hadn't been complete. So what would happen if she told him? Would he be angry? Would he be supportive? Would he have a heart attack? If she did tell him, part of her plan was to tell him he could be as involved, or as _not_-involved, as he wanted. Maybe the question was…how involved did _she _want him to be?

Either way, the nap obviously wasn't going to happen. No matter how exhausted she was, Youko was still constantly in the bathroom, her hair was messy, her breasts were bothering her, she was having heartburn, and her clothes were feeling tight—although she looked much more like a drug addict than a mother-to-be.

…

"Knock, knock," someone was heard saying. "Knock, knock!"

_Snap! _Just like that, Youko was jolted out of sleep, which was so hard to come by these days. She got off her bed and stomped over to the door, flinging it wide open and glaring down at her intruder. It was her subordinate, Mizu, who was holding a scroll, tied in the middle, clenched tightly in one fist.

"You interrupted me from my nap," Youko hissed.

"I-I'm sorry, my Queen," said Mizu, trembling from head to toe. "It's just, well, we have intel that there are some priceless stones stashed in an old inn nearby, said to have special powers, and we were wondering if you might be—"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M IN _ANY _POSITION TO RAID ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?!" Youko shouted, aiming a swat at Mizu's head. The water demon dodged instinctively; Youko got a sort of savage gratification from the fear in those ocean-blue eyes.

"Please, ma'am, I'm sorry!" Mizu cried. "I'll leave you alone now!"

"Give me that, you silly little coward," Youko snapped, swiping the scroll from Mizu's hand. She watched her subordinate flee down the hallway, then opened it up. She had been hoping it was a map, but they weren't often lucky enough to get one of those. It was actually a receipt one of her henchmen had found on the ground, showing that a traveler had recently traded some rare meat and fruit in exchange for precious jewels.

Whoever was dumb enough to leave a receipt lying like that on the ground, Youko decided, was probably also dumb enough to hide the goods at the inn where he was staying. She felt her mood improving as she thought what a great raid this would be…then her heart sunk.

In the Makai, she knew, the inn selection was not that great. Demons usually didn't stay the night at inns if they could help it, because, quite frankly, they were dangerous places. And with a haggard sigh, Youko acknowledged that a mother-to-be should not be hanging around in a dangerous place. She wasn't just protecting herself anymore; she was protecting the little ones inside her. Of course, her subordinates could do the raiding for her, but she missed being along, and she had the feeling they could mess it up if she wasn't there. After all, that was what happened last time.

…

As they progressed through the week, planning the newest heist, Youko realized how much she missed being the active Queen of Thieves. It seemed like everything in her life lately was just focused on managing the symptoms of her pregnancy. When she could sleep, she had weird dreams, sometimes even scary ones, such as being stabbed through the stomach, which would kill the babies, even if it didn't kill her.

There was also the question of just how many babies were in there. She couldn't quite feel them yet, but even if she could, she didn't think she'd be able to make out how many babies she was going to have—which was why, when she went about finding homes for them, she would have to tell the hopeful adoptive parents that they may or may not get a baby at all, depending on how many she had.

Was she nervous about the birth? Well…not particularly. Maybe it was just because the birth was still about three months away. Or maybe she realized it was a natural process, and her body would know what to do. She was sure of one thing, though, which was that she wanted to do it alone. The birth wouldn't go any easier with everyone bothering her.

No, the worst part was that she just didn't feel like she could keep her lifestyle. In the Makai, you were never really, truly safe—it was the epitome of an "eat-or-be-eaten" situation. This was especially true if you were the leader of a band of outlaws. Youko had many enemies; to be honest, there weren't many demons she couldn't face down, but it wasn't just about her anymore. It was protecting the helpless babies that were inside her right now. Every time she went to steal something, she knew there was a possibility of getting caught, but before, she would have been able to fight…Now, would she really be above just begging for the children's lives?

_Ugh!_

It was so unfair. The future adoptive parents of her babies _wanted _to be parents. The demonesses had been _trying _to get pregnant, and they couldn't. Why was it that someone who desperately longed for even _one _baby couldn't get pregnant, but Youko, who definitely did not want anything to do with pregnancy _or _children, was suddenly carrying a litter? There must be a home for each baby _somewhere_, Youko figured. Somewhere out there, each of her babies had a mother and father already waiting with open arms. Every baby did, she realized, even if they never found them—which, again, happened all too often in the demon realm.


End file.
